Building construction.



No. 879,595 PATENTED FEB.18, 1908. NI. SMITH. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLIGATION FILED MAY 26. 1906.

2 SLBLEETSSHEET l.

[Elli No. 879,595. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

- N. SMITH.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26. 1906.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

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NEWTON SMITH, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

Application filed May 26. 1906. Serial No. 318.813.

certain new and useful Improvements in Building Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in building construction, the object being to like disturbances.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a building foun l dation constructed to embody my invention.

ig. 2 is a perspective view relatively en- I larged of one corner of a foundation illustrating a modification. Fig. 3 is a relatively enlarged detail plan view. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44. Fig. 5 is another detail view in plan. Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof' Fig. 7 is a plan view of a detached cap plate.

A-A represents foundation of anysuitable construction, such as stone or cement. This foundation of course would be adapted to the particular buildin which it is intended to support as to out ine, weight, etc. Placed upon the foundation at suitable intervals, and firmly secured in BB, the plates B being adapted to the I rovide upturned border flanges F at the edges. I At one ormore points within the field of this flanged edge suitable supplemental recesses O C may be formed, concaved or dished so as i to receive balls D D. esting upon these balls are cap plates E E adapted to the sad- I dle plates B B respectively. These cap plates are also provided with supplemental recesses C O to receive the balls normally i standing in the supplemental recesses O O in I the saddle plates. The superstructure is built upon the cap plates E E. A sufficient I number of balls may be provided between each pair of cap and saddle plates to sustain the weight and distribute the strains properly.

From the foregoing it will be seen that, should any earthquake or similar disturbance occur, the foundation of the building may be vibrated laterally to a very considerable extent and sufficient to relieve the strain upon the superstructure. The area of the main recessed portion of the several plates is sufliclent to permit the balls to leave their normal bearings and have awide range of movement. The flanges around each set of plates face toward each other and thusprevent the ball from leaving the recessed portion within the field of the border.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a slight modification in which instead of having merely one series of plates extending around the found ation, several of said sets of plates may be pro vided side by side. This is merely to provide for foundations of unusual width such as are required to sustain an extra heavy superstructure.

l/Vhat I claim and ters Patent is:

1. In abuilding construction, a foundation, recessed ball supporting plates carried thereby, balls thereon, and cap'plates resting upon desire to secure by Letopposite supplementally depressed ball centering recesses spaced apart from the borders in a device of the class upper bearing plates,

2. In combination, described, lower and having having a ball fitting closely in said cavity, preventing ball except by special force. 3. In combmation, in a device of the class and upper bearing plates, g a shallow and a ball fitting closely in whereby movement of the ball except by special or abnormal GEORGE W. PENFIELD, NELLIE L. MONARY.

cavity or hollow said cavity, is prevented force. 

